A Review on The Effect of Dust Properties on Photovoltaic Solar Panels’ Performance

Nowadays, due to the increasing demand for energy and the problems of non-renewable energies, renewable energies are growing. In a country like Iran with a radiation potential higher than the global average, utilizing solar energy is a priority among other renewable energy sources. In areas affected by the dust phenomenon, one of the main challenges is the performance reduction of photovoltaic solar panels due to dust accumulation. By conducting a comprehensive review of related studies, the present study categorized the properties of dust and how they affect the performance of photovoltaic solar panels. Also, the dust origins in Iran and the frequency of dust phenomena in the country were studied. It was shown that the different physical properties and chemical composition lead to different effects on the performance of photovoltaic solar panels. Therefore, the effect of physical properties (color, temperature, dust accumulation rate, adhesion, concentration, moisture content, specific gravity, and plastic index) and chemical composition (size, charge, shape, material, and distribution of particles) of dust on the performance of photovoltaic solar panels were studied and classified. The present study can be used as a general reference for additional research in this field according to the dominant dust type in the target region.


INTRODUCTION
Today, the energy demand is increasing due to global population growth and technological advances [1]. On the other hand, due to the problems and disadvantages of non-renewable energies, environmental concerns and the need for sustainable energy security have led to the growing use of renewable energies [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. In a region like Iran, which has high solar radiation even more than the global average, using solar energy becomes more important than all other types of renewable energy. Especially due to solar energy unlimited source, easy access, producing no noise and pollution, growing research and development in this field, and also the global decline in the price of photovoltaic solar systems in recent years, the necessity of using this energy is completely clear [2,9,10]. However, due to the prevailing climate in Iran, dust is a challenging issue for the use of solar energy; Because the deposition of dust on the photovoltaic solar panel significantly reduces its performance [11]. According to a study in Iran, during the 70 days, the light transmission coefficient decreased by 25% due to dust settling [9]. Therefore, it is necessary to study this issue in particular. The following figure shows the upward trend of research in this field and clarifies the need to study this issue more than before.

Figure 1
Line chart of the cumulative number of article researches by year [12] Based on figure 1, the research on the effect of dust on the performance of photovoltaic solar panels started about six decades ago by realizing the effect of dust on the amount of light reached by the solar panel surface [12]. Al-Shubokshi and Hussein were among the pioneers, who studied the effect of physical and chemical properties of dust particles on photovoltaic solar panels [13]. With the development of photovoltaic systems and the emergence of the dust challenge, especially in areas with high radiation potential such as the Middle East and parts of China, the research trend has been growing from 2009 onwards [12]. The present study reviews the research conducted on the effect of physical properties and chemical composition of dust on the performance of photovoltaic solar panels.

Results and Discussion
The main sources of dust are deserts. Dust Origins can be natural or unnatural. There are internal and external dust sources for any country . Since The effect of dust deposition strongly depends on the local area where the photovoltaic solar system is installed, dust sources are described in detail for Iran in this article.
It was found that each parameter of physical properties and chemical composition of dust affects the performance of the solar panel. Therefore, considering the effectiveness of these parameters and conducting additional research in this field according to the prevailing dust in the target region is necessary. This way, not only it is possible to find suitable areas for the construction of photovoltaic solar systems, but also the appropriate time and method for cleaning are determined, and thus the reduction of the photovoltaic solar system lifetime prevented as much as possible. The necessity of this issue is becoming more and more apparent due to the lack of enough data and research in this field in Iran.

Conclusions
The results of the current study can use as a general reference for researchers, designers, and engineers who deal with photovoltaic systems in regions struggling with dust events such as the Middle East, and in particular, Iran. [1] E. Rosenberg